Half to samuel o neil



(No Model.)

R. GIBBS.

'POS-T DRAWING DEVICE.

,No. 290,637. PatentedDec. 18, 1883.

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ilNrrn STATES 10 Erica,

' ATENI RICHARD GIBBS, OF COAL.VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- IIALF TO SAMUEL ONEIL, OF SAME PLACE.

POST-DRAWING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,637, dated December 18, 1883.

Application filed October 10, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD GIBBs, of Coal Valley, county of Allegheny, State .of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Post-Drawing Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichlike letters indicating like parts Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my invention as shown in operation, and Figs. 2 and 3 are views of modified portions of my apparatus as shown in Fig. 1.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved device for drawing or removing posts that have been used as supports for the roof of coal-mines after the coal has been taken out and the necessity for supporting the roof no longer exists.

In the business of coal-mining, in thermining of entries and in the digging out of the coal from the rooms, it is necessary to use a great number of wooden posts to support the roof, and the number of posts needed is dependent upon the nature of the coal formation. \Vhen the roof is soft and crumbly, a greater number is necessary; but in any event these posts are too valuable to be left standing in the mine after the coal is taken out, and their usefulness as supports at that particular spot is at an end; but the attempt by the miners to knock them down and take them out in the usual way is attended with great danger to life and limb from thefalling in of the roof as soon as the post is taken away and before they have time to get to a safe distance, and my invention is intended to obviate this danger; and it consists in an apparatus composed of notched levers, tongs, and a rigid connectingarm, the whole so arranged as to enable the miner or operator to accomplish the with drawal of the posts with great ease and safety, and while remaining at a safe distance from the point of danger.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I will describe its construction and manner of use.

The lever-arm A is made of wrought-iron,

from four and one-half to five andone-half feet in length, and with one end shaped into anib or hook, a, and the other end formed into a handle, a, and from near the handle portion a to near the nib acxtends a rectangular open space, a, through which may pass, at the suitably-enlarged rectangular opening (6 ,1116 rigid connecting-arm B. N otches a a a are also formed along the side of A, adapted to fit and have a bearing against the corresponding notches or cogs, 0, upon the connecting-arm B. The rigid connecting-arm B is also made of wrought-iron, from six to ten feet in length,as may be preferred, and may be made either with notches or cogs upon both upper and 6 5 lower surfaces, as shown in Fig. 1, or with the notches only upon the one surface, as shown at B in Fig. 2. At the end of the connectingarm B, at b, I pivot the ends of a pair of arms, b,which connect, in turn,with the arms of the tongs O, which are also made of wrought-iron and of strength sufficient to clasp firmly and draw out any ordinary post. At Fig. 2 is shown a modified form of B in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is the corresponding modified form of lever or dog for it.

The operation of myinvention is as follows: The notched end of the rigid connectingarm B is passed through the rectangular opening a to a suitable distance, and then adjusted sidewise upon the lever or dog A, to suit the convenience of the operator. A suitable pointsuch as a standing post or some other solid supp ortis chosen as a fulcrum for the nib a of the lever or dog A, and the rigid conneotingarm B is pushed forward until the points of I the tongs 0 come in contact with and clasp the post to be withdrawn, when it will be readily seen that by the application of the necessary pressure to the handle a of the lever A the post P will be withdrawn; and in case it should be desirable, by reason of falling coal or roof, or for any other reason, to release the hold of the tongs 0 upon the post P, it is easily done by pushing forward the rigid arm B,whenthe points of the tongs will at once open. By means of the rigidity of the connecting-arm B, I am able to stand at a safe distance and manipulate the tongs O, and by means of the notches n a a and the corresponding notches, 10c

c c c, all slipping of the levers upon each other ing nib a, rectangular opening (4 and enlarged is prevented, and I am able to get afirm bearrectangular opening a, and notches n n n, in ing, and I can also vary the amount of power or combination with rigid arm B,with its notches I 5 leverage, as occasion may require, by sliding or cogs c c a and tongs 0, attached thereto, sub- 5 the arm B nearer to or farther from the nib a. stantially as shown and described.

My invention may be applied not only in In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my coal-mining, but in all kinds of mining or tunhand. neling, when it is desirable to remove a post Q or other object without going up close to it. 1 RICHARD 1o Vhat I claim herein as my invention, and Vitnesses:

desire to secure by Letters Patent, is JNo. D. MOKENNAN,

In a post-drawing device, the lever A, hav- XV. P. POTTER. 

